Andy Burt – PlayStation.Bloghttp://blog.us.playstation.com
Official PlayStation Blog for news and video updates on PS4, PS3, PSN, PS Vita, PSPSat, 10 Dec 2016 00:26:18 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.5.3http://blog.us.playstation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/cropped-PS-Bug-32x32.jpgAndy Burt – PlayStation.Bloghttp://blog.us.playstation.com
3232Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Powers Up for PS3http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/04/20/tekken-tag-tournament-2-powers-up-for-ps3/
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/04/20/tekken-tag-tournament-2-powers-up-for-ps3/#commentsFri, 20 Apr 2012 20:09:23 +0000http://blog.us.playstation.com/?p=74198Though Tekken Tag Tournament 2 has been available in arcades since earlier this year in the States (and back into September in Japan), the revamped PS3 version brings numerous new characters and a new training mode that re-imagines the series’ previously established mini-games.

While the main fighting mechanics of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 will feel familiar to anyone acquainted with the series’ staccato combat style, the console version introduces a few new ways to lock horns with worthy competitors. You can now fight opponents in several configurations — two against two, two against one, and one against one — and each of these modes is available at any time. In matches that pit one character against two, the disadvantaged player receives a more generous life bar but obviously cannot switch fighters when the going gets rough. Conversely, the player with two fighters will have to pay close attention; in true Tekken tag form, you’ll lose the round if either character is KO’d.

During the Namco Bandai Gamer’s Day, the developers also clarified their position on offering DLC characters, with series director Katsuhiro Harada making it clear that the game won’t charge players to unlock new characters. This is good news for Tekken fans looking to experience any of the 50+ characters included on the game’s Blu-ray Disc.

Fight Lab is another standout addition to the PS3 version. Its goal is worthy: to train players in Tekken’s deep fighting mechanics without serving up a dry tutorial experience. In a roundtable discussion with Katsuhiro Harada, the veteran developer explained that the mode will embrace some of the quirky (but addictive!) minigames of past Tekken titles while simultaneously training the player so they can come back into the main game with new skills at their disposal.

In Fight Lab, players build up their “Combot,” a customizable cyborg fighter which, as time spent in Fight Lab goes on, can be customized both aesthetically and through specialized combat sets. Players can choose from a variety of moves used by fighters in the main roster as they progress, as well as a number of unlockable costumes and visual flairs to their Combot.

While Tekken Tag Tournament 2 will be instantly familiar to fans of the series, the next entry brings many new innovations to the tried and true formula that fight fans would be remiss to pass by. Keep an eye out for Tekken Tag Tournament 2 this September, and get your best combos ready for massive brawling.

“One Piece” is a household name in Japan, where the mangas and anime series are among the most popular series of all time. The series follows Monkey D. Luffy, a seafaring pirate in search of treasure on the high seas, who possesses the strange ability to stretch his limbs to cartoonish lengths after eating a mysterious fruit.

While only a handful of the games created in the One Piece universe have seen releases Stateside, the release of PS3-exclusive One Piece: Pirate Warriors sees the series return to the US. I recently went hands-on with a Japanese build of the game at Namco Bandai’s Gamers Day, checking out Pirate Warriors’ brawler-based gameplay and over-the-top anime antics.

Pirate Warriors embraces the combat stylings of the Dynasty Warriors series, pitting series protagonist Monkey and a number of other playable characters against wave upon wave of enemies; the playable demo Namco had on-hand showed off the impressive number of enemies the game can display at any given time. Though the Dynasty Warriors series is known for its massive number of on-screen foes, Pirate Warriors does this with the anime stylings of series creator Eiichiro Oda, featuring some of the most over-the-top combat sequences I’ve seen in a long time.

It’s easy to get the hang of combat right away, combining light and strong attacks into combo strings to take down multiple enemies at once. Monkey’s ability to stretch his limbs to ridiculous length allows him to strike groups from across the screen. Monkey also possesses the ability to perform mega attacks, which are available once a charge bar at the top of the screen fills up as he defeats enemies. These attacks are totally off-the-wall, and involve brief anime-style cutscenes while Monkey inflicts massive amounts of pain on his helpless foes.

One Piece: Pirate Warriors also sports multiple modes of play, including a story mode and a more straightforward battle mode. Fans familiar with the series will be happy to know that the game mirrors much of the plot that begins the One Piece manga, though gamers unfamiliar with the series should have no problem becoming acquainted with Monkey and his band of Straw Hat Pirates.

One Piece: Pirate Warriors is slated to hit later this year, only on PS3.

]]>http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/04/19/one-piece-pirate-warriors-is-brawling-exclusively-on-ps3/feed/59http://blog.us.playstation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/7094076801_d1eb60722c_z.jpg4.46Correspondent, PlayStation.Blog590Star Trek Teleports to PS3 With Co-op and 3Dhttp://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/04/17/star-trek-teleports-to-ps3-with-co-op-and-3d/
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/04/17/star-trek-teleports-to-ps3-with-co-op-and-3d/#commentsTue, 17 Apr 2012 15:33:42 +0000http://blog.us.playstation.com/?p=73966Bad Robot, one of the most beloved sci-fi series in history teeters on the brink of a renaissance among fans and newcomers alike. With Star Trek for PS3, developer Digital Extremes is crafting a standalone story that takes place between the 2009 film and the upcoming sequel. The hope: to boldly go where no licensed game has gone before.
Star Trek is a cooperative third-person shooter, but that description doesn't do the game much justice. The two controllable characters, Captain Kirk and Spock, both experience the story differently, with branching paths and narratives that will give the game a substantial amount of replay value. ]]>

Thanks to the storytelling wizardry and storytelling chops of J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot, one of the most beloved sci-fi series in history teeters on the brink of a renaissance among fans and newcomers alike. With Star Trek for PS3, developer Digital Extremes is crafting a standalone story that takes place between the 2009 film and the upcoming sequel. The hope: to boldly go where no licensed game has gone before.

Star Trek is a cooperative third-person shooter, but that description doesn’t do the game much justice. The two controllable characters, Captain Kirk and Spock, both experience the story differently, with branching paths and narratives that will give the game a substantial amount of replay value. Each character is also equipped with their own individual weapons and skills, each complementing the other in a variety of ways. For instance, Spock’s Vulcan mind meld ability allows him to turn foes into allies, forcing oncoming threats into vital offensive allies. Kirk is equipped with a more direct and offensive weapon set, allowing him to take the initiative in firefights while Spock flanks to perform more strategic maneuvers.

Kirk has both ‘stun’ and ‘kill’ settings for his phaser, making him a versatile ally. Each setting can be upgraded as the game goes on, giving you the power to decide what strategic path to follow. The same goes for Spock as well, though he’s more naturally equipped for stealthy maneuvers.

Though the game is still a ways off, Digital Extremes presented a live demo for a large crowd at Namco Bandai’s Gamers Day event in Las Vegas. In the demo, we were treated to a scene pitting both Kirk and Spock against both space itself and a number of enemies aboard none other than the U.S.S. Enterprise. On two different screens (each controlling one of the characters), the demo began with both characters careening through an asteroid field with nothing but their spacesuits to protect them from the vacuum of space.

The entire scene was fully interactive, with each player forced to avoid asteroid clusters or risk a quick death. Inside the Enterprise, while searching for clues as to why the ship was under attack, the characters scanned the environment using the series’ signature doohickey: the Tricorder. Creative Director Steve Sinclair stressed that the do-anything Tricorder will be integral to the player’s journey throughout Star Trek, and it will come handy for scanning fallen allies and anomalies throughout the environment. Another sequence showed Kirk and Spock pinned down in a desperate firefight, and here the team showed the cover-based shooting and fluid third-person shooter mechanics. A variety of weapons were displayed, from death-inducing phasers to weapons more useful to paralyze than obliterate.

Star Trek will also support full stereoscopic 3D on PS3. To pound the point home, Namco Bandai Games even presented the entire gameplay demo from start to finish in full 3D — set your phasers to fun.

Star Trek is slated for a Q1 2013 release, so Trekkies (or is it Trekkers?) can look forward to a new tale in the storied sci-fi franchise soon.

If you have any questions about what I saw, leave them below and I’ll do my best to answer them!

]]>http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/04/17/star-trek-teleports-to-ps3-with-co-op-and-3d/feed/25http://blog.us.playstation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/star-trek.jpg3.87Correspondent, PlayStation.Blog250Ni No Kuni: Wrath of The White Witch Hands-on Impressionshttp://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/04/17/ni-no-kuni-wrath-of-the-white-witch-hands-on-impressions/
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/04/17/ni-no-kuni-wrath-of-the-white-witch-hands-on-impressions/#commentsTue, 17 Apr 2012 15:30:14 +0000http://blog.us.playstation.com/?p=73952Namco Bandai Games first announced PS3-exclusive Ni No Kuni: Wrath of The White Witch. A collaborative effort between veteran RPG maker Level-5 and veteran animation house Studio Ghibli, Ni No Kuni promises to seamlessly blend Ghibli's gorgeous art style with Level-5's RPG chops for a completely unique experience not seen on PS3 until now. I went hands-on with the game at Namco Bandai's recent media event in Las Vegas, exploring the lush world of Ni No Kuni, battling a plethora of creatures, and traversing through a pig-obsessed city appropriately titled Hamelin.
If you haven't yet, check out the gorgeous new trailer for Ni No Kuni: Wrath of The White Witch above.]]>

It’s been quite a while since Namco Bandai Games first announced PS3-exclusive Ni No Kuni: Wrath of The White Witch. A collaborative effort between veteran RPG maker Level-5 and veteran animation house Studio Ghibli, Ni No Kuni promises to seamlessly blend Ghibli’s gorgeous art style with Level-5’s RPG chops for a completely unique experience not seen on PS3 until now. I went hands-on with the game at Namco Bandai’s recent media event in Las Vegas, exploring the lush world of Ni No Kuni, battling a plethora of creatures, and traversing through a pig-obsessed city appropriately titled Hamelin.

If you haven’t yet, check out the gorgeous new trailer for Ni No Kuni: Wrath of The White Witch above.

Oliver explores worlds both fantastical (left) and real-life (right) in Ni No Kuni.

If you’re unfamiliar with what Ni No Kuni is all about, here’s a quick refresher: players take on the role of Oliver, a young boy who has just lost his mother, as he searches for a way to find her again. As his tears fall on a doll given to him by his mother, the doll comes alive and leads him to a fantastical place, telling Oliver that he may be able to find his mother in this new world. Players will experience both the real and the fantastical worlds as the story goes on. It’s a very Ghibli-esque premise and one that suits the game’s presentation well.

It goes without saying that the first thing you’ll notice about Ni No Kuni is the striking visual style that Studio Ghibli and Level-5 have created within Ni No Kuni — it’s arguably the closest a developer has come to recreating the look and feel of Japanese animation within the confines of a video game. The cutscenes were created especially for Ni No Kuni by Studio Ghibli, and anyone familiar with the studio’s past work with films like Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away will instantly recognize their unique aesthetic. Just as impressive though, are the real-time graphics. The whole world of Ni No Kuni ebbs and flows just as effortlessly as the Ghibli-produced cutscenes, lending a truly cinematic feel to the whole experience.

One of the most crucial elements to any RPG is its battle system, and Ni No Kuni takes a unique approach to the typical elements that many RPGs share. First off, there are no random battles when roaming the world map. Enemy groups can be seen well in advance, giving players ample time to decide whether to avoid or engage. Once in battle, players are free to roam the enclosed battle environment with their character, while issuing group commands to other characters. Players can also switch control to other characters on the fly. Additionally, Ni No Kuni presents a “familiar” system, allowing each of the main characters to summon creatures to fight by their side, each possessing their own special abilities. In my experience with the game, it helped to consider each enemy group before devising a tactical strategy to take them down, making the battle system quite a breath of fresh air in the RPG world.

My hands-on time also gave me a chance to explore the wider world. In an area called Hamelin, which is appropriately titled as my party encountered a society run by a porcine president, I encountered a vast culture with dozens of townsfolk and areas to explore. The town itself was filled with armory and item shops, which in the demo were closed for business. That said, the town itself felt like an interactive Studio Ghibli film, with a host of zany characters and an elaborate boss fight that I won’t spoil here.

Suffice it to say that if you’re a fan of RPG games you’d be wise to watch out for Ni No Kuni: Wrath of The White Witch in early 2013. Keep your eye on the PlayStation.Blog for more details as we get closer to the release date of this promising PS3 exclusive.

]]>http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/04/17/ni-no-kuni-wrath-of-the-white-witch-hands-on-impressions/feed/77http://blog.us.playstation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/7085606831_49df376fe5_z.jpg4.44Correspondent, PlayStation.Blog770Namco Bandai Gamers Day 2012: Tekken Tag 2, Ni No Kuni, and Morehttp://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/04/17/namco-bandai-gamers-day-2012-tekken-tag-2-ni-no-kuni-and-more/
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/04/17/namco-bandai-gamers-day-2012-tekken-tag-2-ni-no-kuni-and-more/#commentsTue, 17 Apr 2012 15:29:07 +0000http://blog.us.playstation.com/?p=73945Namco Bandai recently hosted a media event in Las Vegas that showcased a slew of upcoming titles coming to PS3 in 2012 and beyond. Based on the lineup, there are a number of games in the works from the veteran publisher that warrant attention from PS3 owners. See below for a full round-up, and keep an eye out for in-depth previews of these games right here on the PlayStation.Blog!

Tekken Tag Tournament 2

The storied fighting game series is finally headed to PS3. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 features all of the improvements Namco included over its predecessor in the arcade version, and throws even more characters into the mix: the final game will include over 50 playable combatants. Series director Katsuhiro Harada said that they have no desire to make these characters available through paid DLC, which is good news for fight fans. ]]>Namco Bandai recently hosted a media event in Las Vegas that showcased a slew of upcoming titles coming to PS3 in 2012 and beyond. Based on the lineup, there are a number of games in the works from the veteran publisher that warrant attention from PS3 owners. See below for a full round-up, and keep an eye out for in-depth previews of these games right here on the PlayStation.Blog!

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of The White Witch

A dream-team development collaboration between Level-5 (White Knight Chronicles, Dragon Quest VIII) and animation powerhouse Studio Ghibli undeniably evokes the highest of expectations from fans of the two studios. And with PS3-exclusive Ni No Kuni: Wrath of The White Witch, the partnership looks to have paid off in spades. A sprawling RPG set in a rich, colorful world, Ni No Kuni is easily the most impressive demonstration of the cel-shaded graphical style that’s become popular in recent years, which complements the animation cutscenes created by Studio Ghibli (see the trailer above). The story follows Oliver, a young boy dealing with the loss of a family member, as he traverses between his world and a fantasy world in an attempt to bring his loved one back to life. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of The White Witch will hit in early 2013.

Star Trek

Taking place between the 2009 film of the same name and its sequel coming in 2013, Digital Extremes’ upcoming third-person shooter focuses on two of Star Trek’s most beloved characters: Kirk and Spock. The game allows for online and split-screen co-op with each player taking control of one of the two characters, while each character is equipped with vastly different weapons and abilities. Digital Extremes showed off Star Trek’s impressive 3D capabilities, and PS3 gamers who own a 3DTV can take full advantage of this feature. The developers also showed an impressive in-game sequence where both Kirk and Spock rocketed through space towards the Enterprise, which had fallen under attack by an as-yet-unknown enemy.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2

The storied fighting game series is finally headed to PS3. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 features all of the improvements Namco included over its predecessor in the arcade version, and throws even more characters into the mix: the final game will include over 50 playable combatants. Series director Katsuhiro Harada said that they have no desire to make these characters available through paid DLC, which is good news for fight fans. The console version also throws in a new mode called Fight Lab, a training mode that incorporates many mini-game elements from past games, while simultaneously teaching players new skills to add to their repertoire.

One Piece: Pirate Warriors

Arriving in November 2012 as a simultaneous digital and Blu-ray release, PS3-exclusive One Piece: Pirate Warriors takes the insanely popular manga/anime series to new heights in this stylized brawler. Players take control of One Piece protagonist Monkey D. Luffy, with his stretchy, rubber-like limbs, to do battle against a number of series villains with his Straw Hats pirate crew. The game offers both story and battle modes, among others, and the ability to fight dozens of on-screen enemies simultaneously (a la Dynasty Warriors).

]]>http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/04/17/namco-bandai-gamers-day-2012-tekken-tag-2-ni-no-kuni-and-more/feed/49http://blog.us.playstation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/6939619970_af8eebfba3_z.jpg3.94Correspondent, PlayStation.Blog490Enter The Dream-like World of Papo & Yohttp://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/06/23/enter-the-dream-like-world-of-papo-yo/
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/06/23/enter-the-dream-like-world-of-papo-yo/#commentsThu, 23 Jun 2011 17:29:19 +0000http://blog.us.playstation.com/?p=53374PSN, but one upcoming title, Papo & Yo, is looking to revitalize the genre in a number of intriguing ways. Introduced in early June on the PlayStation.Blog, Papo & Yo tells the story of Quico, a young boy who has an unlikely best friend: a giant hulking beast named, appropriately, Monster. Together, the duo must navigate an ethereal world that’s reminiscent of a South American town but is set entirely in Quico’s imagination. The world itself is made up of dream-like neighborhoods to roam and populated with puzzles to solve.
After getting my hands on the game at E3, it didn’t take long to notice the unique approach developer Minority is taking when it comes to navigation and puzzle solving.]]>

Puzzle-platformers are no rare breed on PSN, but one upcoming title, Papo & Yo, is looking to revitalize the genre in a number of intriguing ways. Introduced in early June on the PlayStation.Blog, Papo & Yo tells the story of Quico, a young boy who has an unlikely best friend: a giant hulking beast named, appropriately, Monster. Together, the duo must navigate an ethereal world that’s reminiscent of a South American town but is set entirely in Quico’s imagination. The world itself is made up of dream-like neighborhoods to roam and populated with puzzles to solve.

After getting my hands on the game at E3, it didn’t take long to notice the unique approach developer Minority is taking when it comes to navigation and puzzle solving. Controlling Quico from a third-person perspective, I wandered a bit around Papo & Yo’s surreal world. Players can easily run and jump around the expansive environments, and also use visual cues to direct Monster (as well as a cute little flying robot named Lula) to points of interest. Utilizing all three characters to solve puzzles is key to progressing in the game, and once you learn a few basics—Monster is good at moving heavy objects, for example, and Lula can reach high areas inaccessible to Quico—the gameplay becomes surprisingly intuitive.

What really impressed me while playing is how the world changes according to Quico’s actions. Picking up a series of unassuming boxes near a line of houses causes the actual individual houses to lift off the ground and move according to where Quico places the boxes. Placing the boxes inside a nearby chalk outline causes the houses to create a rooftop bridge for Quico to cross. The entire segment really helped highlight the dream-like nature of Papo & Yo’s world.

There is, however, a dark side to Papo & Yo. If Monster happens to come across a poisonous frog (his favorite snack) and eat it, he’ll be thrown into a frenzied rage that puts Quico’s life in danger. Papo & Yo creative director Vander Caballero explained that Monster’s addiction to poisonous frogs is meant as an analogy to his own father’s substance abuse, which greatly affected the developer when he was a young boy (like Quico). Preventing Monster from eating the frogs, or hightailing Quico away from him if he does, is key to survival throughout the game.

There’s still plenty more of Papo & Yo that I can’t wait to see, but the game is already looking and playing wonderfully. Keep your eyes on the PlayStation.Blog for more news down the line.

]]>http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/06/23/enter-the-dream-like-world-of-papo-yo/feed/34http://blog.us.playstation.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/5861835929_561da642c4_z.jpg4.59Correspondent, PlayStation.Blog340Rage for PS3: E3 2011 Hands-Onhttp://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/06/15/rage-for-ps3-e3-2011-hands-on/
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/06/15/rage-for-ps3-e3-2011-hands-on/#commentsWed, 15 Jun 2011 13:02:25 +0000http://blog.us.playstation.com/?p=52771id Software releases a new IP, it’s more than a big deal -- it’s an event. The veteran development studio behind classics such as Doom and Quake is preparing to unleash its next big shooter, Rage, this October. And at E3 2011, the storied studio presented a wildly diverse group of missions from the post-apocalyptic adventure to try out on the PS3 version of the game.
First things first: Rage looks fantastic. As id Software’s graphics guru John Carmack recently stated on Twitter, Rage may very well surprise gamers who expect the PS3 version to play second-fiddle to the PC version. Rage is one of the sharpest-looking games I’ve seen in a long time, with the developer’s new id Tech 5 engine really stealing the show. Walking around Rage’s post-apocalyptic wasteland should seem like a gloomy experience, but the game’s slick visuals and smooth-as-butter animations and framerate incite awe more than anything else.]]>

When id Software releases a new IP, it’s more than a big deal — it’s an event. The veteran development studio behind classics such as Doom and Quake is preparing to unleash its next big shooter, Rage, this October. And at E3 2011, the storied studio presented a wildly diverse group of missions from the post-apocalyptic adventure to try out on the PS3 version of the game.

First things first: Rage looks fantastic. As id Software’s graphics guru John Carmack recently stated on Twitter, Rage may very well surprise gamers who expect the PS3 version to play second-fiddle to the PC version. Rage is one of the sharpest-looking games I’ve seen in a long time, with the developer’s new id Tech 5 engine really stealing the show. Walking around Rage’s post-apocalyptic wasteland should seem like a gloomy experience, but the game’s slick visuals and smooth-as-butter animations and framerate incite awe more than anything else.

Throughout Rage’s expansive single-player environments, players can talk to many characters in order to take on new missions. The first mission I checked out was called “The Missing Parts,” and it begins with the player character in an outrigger settlement (one of many disparate groups in the wasteland) searching for buggy parts that were stolen by bandits. This eventually leads to the bandit hideout, where Rage’s gunplay takes the spotlight. Players can equip a number of weapons and augment these weapons with special ammo types found throughout the game. The bandits stood no chance against my pistol’s “fat boy” slugs, but equipping a modified shotgun for close-range combat proved equally effective.

Played on the DualShock 3, Rage ‘s control setup will be intuitive to anyone who’s played a PS3 shooter. Zoom and Fire buttons are naturally mapped to the L2 and R2 buttons, respectively, and players can quickly scroll through their weapons cache with a click of the square button (UPDATE: You can also re-map these to L1 and R1). Navigating the in-game inventory is a breeze, making ammo modification and inventory management practically painless. Sub-weapons like grenades and a deadly throwing knife (the “Wingstick”) are easy to handle, and the equipping the grenade even adds a visual arc (a la UNCHARTED 2) so players can accurately aim their deadly explosives.

Rage also sports some rowdy vehicular gameplay where players can hop into a dune buggy to traverse the wasteland or take part in combat races. The E3 demo race featured a fairly straightforward track design littered with booster packs and weapon pickups. Buggy races look to be a fun diversion from the more shooter-centric gameplay that forms Rage’s core experience.

There was a ton of Rage to see at E3, including a sadistic fun-house meets Running Man-esque TV show called “Mutant Bash TV,” as well as an encounter with a Cloverfield-sized monster in the sprawling Dead City section district, but to give too much away would spoil the surprises awaiting gamers when the game hits the PS3 this October.